“I understand. It’s... just the memories are starting to get to me and I... I’m starting to feel like a burden to Laird’s mother. I know I’m a constant reminder of what she’s lost.”
“That’s not your fault.”
Ophelia shrugs, her shoulders pale despite it being the middle of summer. Then again, she always had this mermaid-fairy thing going on... except there isn’t any color to her cheeks and her eyes are dull, nearly lifeless.
Haunting.
I can only imagine the emotional pain that she lives with each day.
“I have to do something different. I have to be strong until Laird comes back. I don’t want to disappoint him either. What if I’m not there and he’s looking for me?” She bites down on her bottom lip. I don’t have it in me to remind her that Laird’s not coming back. Besides, who am I to dash her hopes of being reunited with the man she loves? A body was never found, so anything is possible. “Maybe I should move back home with momma, like she wants.”
Live in that depressing gloomy funeral home, where her momma would lock her in the basement? I don’t think so. “Oh honey.” I grab her hand, then quickly let go of it. “Laird would want you to do what’s best for you, not put yourself at the mercy of your... others. Tell you what, if I can’t convince my parents to rent the house instead of sell it, I’ll help you find a place to live.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You and Laird hold a special place in my heart, and over the years, your letters helped my heart to heal.”
“I’m so glad.” She sniffs. “Did it take all ten years to heal it?”
“Almost,” I admit.
“What about now?” she asks.
“Now... things are different but the same. It’s like... nothing’s changed between Duke and me, except my wariness of getting involved with him again.”
“He’s not with anyone. At all. Not even Laken, and she’s back in town.”
My heart drops to my feet. My pulse races. “She is?” I ask faintly. Why didn’t Duke tell me that?
Calm down. They’re not married. He specifically said he was free.
“Moved here not long after Laird’s... disappearance.” Ophelia lets go of my hand. “She’s not interested in Duke. She wants a relationship with River.”
“Oh.” I blink at her, slightly encouraged by the news. Except why should I care? I’m not getting back together with Duke, no matter how good it feels to be with him or in his arms. “How’s that going?”
The server comes by our table and takes our order. I want to get two of everything because I’m hungry and emotional. I decide to get two desserts and two appetizers instead.
“Not well.” Ophelia fiddles with the paper straw in her glass. “Duke encourages River to spend time with her, but River normally puts up a fight. I think it’s starting to wear on him, too.”
“Is he worried Laken will try to take River away?”
“Probably, and Laken’s determined to make River love her.”
“That’s not how love works,” I say.
She smiles bittersweetly. “Love makes us do desperate things.”
*
Like on our dates so long ago, I take extra care with my date-night outfit. I want to convey woman of the world but also you should’ve come after me before now.
I hold a rather revealing dress up, eyeing it critically.
“This says ‘do me before dessert’.” I toss it on the bed and search through my suitcase, pulling out a dove grey dress and slim rose gold belt. The neckline is low and the skirt hits just above the knee. If I pair it with some flats, I’m sure to confuse the hell out of him.
I smile, wriggling my brows. “Perfect.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m out the door and cruising my way to Castle Beach. The top’s down on the whale of a black convertible I rented at the airport. With a scarf in my hair and a pair of oversized sunglasses, I feel positively diva-like.
Duke’s beat me to Ten Blue, which I know his big black truck in in the parking lot. I can’t believe he still drives the same one.
Actually, I can. He’s more sentimental and sensible than he likes lets on.
I quickly park and hurry inside, both anxious and excited to get this date started... and over with, if I’m being super honest. I already want to know how this will end.
I want to know how we will end.
The hostess shows me to a table in the back corner, on the opposite side of where we broke up. The view, however, is as excellent as ever.
Duke gets to his feet, his brown hair wavy and his stormy eyes striking. Judging by the slacks and button-down he sports, he is treating this like a first date.
I have to admit that it works for me.
He smiles at me, holding out my chair. “You look beautiful, True.”
Looking up at him, I almost lose my nerve to say anything. This close, this man is perfection. Even the lines at the edges of his eyes add to his masculine beauty.
“Thanks, and you look amazing.”
He sits across from me. “I took the liberty of making sure that strawberry lemonade and seafood alfredo will not be on the menu this evening. Only the things that make you have happy moans.”
I lift a brow. “You think of everything.”
“I think it would be best for me to not assume that the kiss we shared means you’re ready to give me a second chance.” He leans forward. “How long do I have?”
“Until we order?” I glance around the room, pretending not to know what he’s referencing. “I guess whenever the server arrives.”
“True.”
“Duke.”
“When are you leaving?” he says flatly, all warm humor gone.
“Not for a while.”
“Define a while”
“Two weeks, give or take a day.”
Duke sucks in air. “You’re not staying until the house sells?”
I shake my head. “There’s no need. I only had to get all the personal things out that we wanted to keep. The furniture stays with the house. The only renters we ever had barely made any changes, treated it like it was theirs, and they only used the first floor because of the stair situation, so there wasn’t much to do to get it ready.”
“How lucky for you.” He tosses back the amber liquid in his glass and orders another one by signaling one of the servers. How they can see us in this semi-private corner, I have no idea. “What do I have to do to change your mind?”
“What if I don’t want to change my mind?” I counter, earning a grin from him. What in the world? “Why are you grinning?”
“Because you didn’t answer my question. That means one of two things, True Prince—either you don’t need your mind changed because it’s already made up about me in the best of ways, or you do know what I need to do in order to change your mind. Don’t forget you’ve already admitted you are still attracted to me.”
“As if I could.” I grab my napkin and place it in my lap. “Fine. You’re partly right and since we’ve ... or rather I’ve always been honest with you, I’ll be entirely truthful. You have a lot of baggage, Duke. An ex-wife to deal with; a child to raise; a company to run; siblings who need you, a mother who will not like it if I took her son from her to live across the country, and finally a sister-in-law on the brink of cracking from grief. I don’t live here anymore. I don’t have a life here anymore, not even tentatively with my parents. Their company is all but sold. Their house is soon to follow.”
His grin still holds. In fact, it gets wider.
“Oh my gosh, Duke. Will you stop grinning like a possum in the hen house full of eggs?”
“I can assure you that my momma will be perfectly fine if you take me to Arizona with you.”
I groan, rubbing my temples. “That’s not a done deal.”
“Not yet, it isn’t.” He grows serious. “There are some things we need to discuss because they won’t be the wedge that drives us apart.”
“Do tell.” I take a sip of water
, then break into the breadstick basket and snap one in half. “You have my full attention.” I bite into one half, and glory hallelujah, they are as delicious as I remember.
“Give me a minute. I want to hear those happy moans of yours for a little longer.” He literally stops talking to stare at my mouth, and he looks so dang content that it makes me want to turn the volume up. However, we’re in public. And I’m a lady. Well, right now, I’m a lady. “In any case, I wanted you to hear it from me first, that Laken has moved back to Castle Beach.”
“Ophelia told me.”
“Damn it. I wanted to be the one.” He clears his throat, his eyes pleading. “I hope this doesn’t cause a problem for us.”
“Based on what Ophelia told me, you have enough problems without adding my opinion to the mix.”
“That may be, but you should know. And you should know that Laken is happily—I think—married with a baby. Almost a toddler, really. River loves her little sister. However, she doesn’t trust Laken as far as she can throw her.”
“I can only imagine.”
“She asked me to get Brooke—that’s her sister—so she could live with us, in case Laken left her, too.”
My heart pangs painfully and my throat gets thick. “Oh no. I’m so sorry Duke. What an awful position to be in right now.”
He grabs my hand as I reach for another breadstick. “You make it all better.”
*
After dinner and harmless talk of safer topics, we stroll along the boardwalk, Duke pointing out new editions to the town.
“Barron’s mayor now, so there’s no stopping his vision of progress,” he says, and I laugh.
Without thinking, I lean my head against his shoulder, slowing my pace to lollygagging. I can feel him look at me, but I refuse to do the same because I know what will happen.
I’ll get caught up in the magic of us.
“This is where you belong, Sunshine. Right beside me.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in closer. “I’d like for you to meet River. I want her to know all about you.”
I nearly stumble. “Don’t you think we’re moving too quickly for that?”
“Nope.” Duke smiles, and the sight of it rivals the sun setting on the sound side. “Why wouldn’t I want her to meet the woman I’m going to marry?”
I turn to face him, tugging on his arm to get us out of the middle of the walkway. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Why not? It’s true.” He dips his head, his lips dangerously close to mine. “I do want to marry you, True. I have to find the perfect moment, is all.”
I lean back a little. “I’m shocked you didn’t propose tonight.”
“It occurred to me.”
I giggle. “Oh Lord, Duke.”
“I love that laugh. Missed it so damned much.” This time, he kisses me without asking, but he already has my full permission because I want him as much as he wants me. The taste of him is decadent and all consuming. I want to savor and make this moment go on and on.
Teasing his lips with my tongue, I smile as he groans low in his throat. “Sunshine, you taste like love.”
“Stop saying such romantic things.”
“You taste like garlic?”
A snort giggle leaves me. “That’s better.”
With another one of his rare smiles, he goes back to kissing me and for a long while, I lose myself in the magic.
Chapter 24
Duke
The next morning, I cook breakfast for River and me while I rehash last night’s date with True. It hadn’t ended the way I wanted, with a firm yes followed by my seduction of her.
Damn that dress she wore last night was hot as hell. True was hot as hell. All those curves and the way she kissed me ... my morning wood starts to make a major comeback.
“Daddy,” River sings out as she walks in the kitchen. “Can I help?”
“Give me a minute, baby duck.” I take a few calming breathes and adjust my grey sweat pants before running a hand over my bare chest. “Grab a chair and you can scramble the eggs while we wait for the muffins to finish baking.”
River slides a chair across the floor, accidentally hitting me in the foot and making me hop around like a deranged Easter Bunny.
She winces. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t need that toe anyway. It was my least favorite.”
My daughter giggles. “All my toes are my favorites.”
As the throbbing pain subsides, I ask, “What do you want for your birthday?”
“Not to have to go to Laken’s house all the time.”
Well, I did ask. “What about Brooke?”
“She can come live here with us.” River cracks four eggs into the pan and starts to stir. I add in salt, pepper, and ground flaxseed. “I have an extra bed and we can buy her whatever she needs. She can borrow my old baby stuff.”
I sigh. “It’s not that simple.”
River peers at me, her stormy blue eyes innocent. “Because you didn’t keep my baby stuff?”
I give her a look. “Of course I kept your baby stuff.”
“Good.” Pleased as anything, she finishes cooking the eggs and turns off the burner. “I’ll set the table.”
“Why is it you only do chores without fussing when you want something?”
“Aunt Quinn says it’s human nature.”
“Aunt Quinn says a lot of things.” My sister is right, though.
“Besides, I don’t always complain about chores.”
I cock a brow at her. “Santa is listening to you right now.”
“Fiiiine. I don’t complain sixty percent of the time.”
“Twenty.”
“Fifty.”
“Thirty.”
My daughter grins in triumph. “Deal. Does that mean Brooke can come live with us?”
I exhale and join River at the table, bringing the pan of eggs with me because the muffins aren’t done, but we need something to eat while we wait. I’m not that much of a stickler at mealtime, especially on weekends, when it comes to everything being on the table, ready for us to dig into.
“About that. You really hurt Laken’s feelings.”
“She really hurts my feelings by making me spend time with her.”
“I don’t mind that you have very strong feelings when it comes to Laken, but I do mind you being so careless with your words. You’re not cruel, River and whether you like it or not, she’s not only your mother, but your sister’s as well. If it wasn’t for Laken, you wouldn’t have a little sister to love on in the first place.”
River regards me thoughtfully. Tears are filling those stormy blue eyes of hers. “I don’t know what to do, Daddy. She wants me to call her momma, but I don’t feel it in my heart.”
“Then tell her that. I think she would understand that better than you think.”
“But what if she won’t listen to me?” River’s lips wobble. “What if she says she’ll take my sister away if I don’t?”
Motherfucker. “Is that what she’s said to you?”
“No, but she might.”
That bit of knowledge eases the tightness in my chest a bit. I spoon eggs onto River’s plate and then mine. “You can’t go through life fearing what might happen, baby duck. You have to be truthful and brave, and when that fails, you got a daddy that will fight all the water monsters in the world for you.”
River nods, tears falling freely down her rosy cheeks. I grab her up and place her in my lap, her little arms going around my neck. “I love you, surfer girl.”
“I love you, surfer daddy.”
*
As River and I pack up all we need for an afternoon at the beach, I broach the subject of True with her. With her sensitivity to Laken, I’m not so sure that a date with True is the thing to do right now
But I have to follow my own advice about being truthful and brave.
“So...I have a really good friend in town that I’d like for you to meet today. I asked her to come to the
beach with us, but if you want it to be just us, then I’ll let her know.”
“What’s her name?” River asks.
“True Prince.”
My daughter’s button nose scrunches. “Is she related to us?”
“Ah, no.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Very pretty, but I’ll let you judge for yourself.”
“Is she fun?”
“Between me and you, “ I make a big show of looking around to make sure no one is listening. “She’s really bad at surfing, but makes up for it by doing silly things in the water.”
River’s eyes round. “I want to see the silly things.”
“I can tell her to meet us?”
River nods. “Yup.”
*
When I asked True to meet us at the beach, I neglected to tell her that the beach is, in fact, my backyard.
I can see the confused look on her face when she pulls into the driveway. Confusion gives way to shock when she sees me walking toward her.
Opening her door, I offer my free hand. “Hope you don’t mind that we’ll have this section of the beach all to ourselves.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Is your daughter even here? Or was this some ruse to get me in bed.”
“Whoa, Ms. Prince.” I hold up my hands in front of me. “What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“The kind who wants his way and won’t stop until he gets it.”
I shrug. “Guilty.”
“Who are you?” True stares at me. “I kinda like this more carefree side to you, even if the serious side is my favorite.”
“How favorite?”
Before she can answer, River bounds out of the house, her dark braids flying out behind her. “Hi, True Prince. I’m River King. We both have strange names. My daddy says you’re really bad at surfing but really good at doing silly things in the water.”
“Oh he did, did he?” True turns to me, her lips twitching.
“Might have.” I run a nervous hand through my hair.
True holds out her hand to River. “It’s very nice to meet you, fellow strange name potential friend.”
River giggles. She pumps True’s arm up and down rather comically. “Are you spending the night, too? Sometimes, Daddy lets me have sleepovers, but he’s never had one. Have you, Daddy?”
Picture Perfect Summer Page 14